Wireless extender

koolpc

koolpc

koolpc

Soldato
Joined
2 Dec 2004
Posts
14,608
Location
Under The Desk, Wales
Help!

Living in a shared house and where i am the internet is terrible!

Can someone recommend a decent wireless signal extender? I use a tablet so i cant use an ethernet cable.

Currently get signal via plug in the electric socket connected to router (wireless) but its naff. I think its an old model?

TP Link AV600
 
A decent wifi extender doesn't exist, it's an inherently flawed technology. Viable solutions usually involve an AP which in itself requires that you run a cable to a central location to maximise coverage, something like the unified AP running 2.4Ghz is inexpensive and will give decent coverage. What you currently have is a power line adapter that then runs an AP, that's two highly variable technologies combined and I don't see that ending well at all.
 
So despite the scant information I'm going to make some assumptions.
  • Your shared house has more than two of you in it and you all use the same internet
  • The wifi from the router isn't strong enough to reach round the house so you have introduced powerline networking
  • There's a powerline adapter near your router which cables into it
  • You have a powerline adapter which is also a wireless access point (The AV600) and you connect your tablet to that
Grateful if you can confirm the above and then also answer these questions because the answer may not be that you need a wifi extender:
  • When you say the internet is terrible, what do you actually experience? Define terrible
  • How far away from your AV600 unit are you when you use the internet on the tablet? In the same room?
  • What internet connection do you actually have? Virgin/DSL/fibre and at what advertised and achieved speeds
  • What sort of usage patterns do others in the house have? Sit in bed all day watching Netflix HD or big downloaders or gamers or just casual?
  • How many different people using the internet in your house?
  • How many others are experiencing the same terrible internet?
  • Would you and others in the house be prepared to chip in together for a better solution for all of you?
I ask this because when most people say 'terrible' they mean bad wifi performance. Much as I hate powerline adapters, wifi performance is not likely the issue here if you're next to it. Could still be the powerline though and a new wifi powerline adapter won't help in all likelihood as you'll all run at the speed of the weakest link in the chain so if someone else has an AV600 that's the best you'll do. And of course it might be nothing to do with that and one of your housemates has a piece of malware on their machine sucking the life out of your connection.
 
All sorted now as house owner did not set up powerline wireless adapter! Now he has, signal is 100%.
Cheers guys.
 
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